Chapter 440: Chapter 440
Tang Yuan’er woke up again, tormented by stomach acid and bloating. Her stomach was so uncomfortable that she wanted to vomit acid water, forcing her to open her eyes with difficulty.
The scene before her left her somewhat dazed: ancient-looking bed curtains, a luxurious antique-style big bed, a row of bright red auspicious colors. Had she traveled back to ancient times?
What dynasty was this? A fictional one or one that historically existed?
The next instant, her head ached, and a flood of memories played in her mind like a movie...
This time she had crossed over into a bona fide female body, finally not a man, which brought her a sigh of relief. After all, in her last life, she had spent decades as a boy; it was quite the ordeal when she thought about it.
Back to the story, the female protagonist was named Yuan Yuan. She did not know whether her name was cursed or it was due to her physical condition, but she was fat since she was a child. By the time she came of age, she had reached one hundred eighty jin at a height of one meter six. If it were not for her remarkable mother, who had saved the Empress Dowager when she was still the Empress, she would never have entered the palace and become the Empress as the mere daughter of an Imperial Physician.
But what did it matter to be the Empress?
The Emperor disdainfully disfavored her from the start. If not for the Empress Dowager’s imperial decree, how would a normal man marry a woman whose body could crush him?
It was bad enough that she was ugly, but she was also round. Being round was fine, except she seemed to have no other hobbies besides eating. She was good for nothing, neither pretty nor dignified. She was the biggest joke in Dongru Country.
After the grand wedding of the Emperor and Empress, the Emperor threw the Empress into Yikun Palace. Her meals were so lavish, sometimes even more so than those of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. In any case, he never shortchanged her, but what was his true intention? The original owner didn’t know, but Tang Yuan’er saw right through it. That food wasn’t a feast; it was practically a death sentence.
The Emperor never appeared in front of the Empress and never shared a place with her. Even when the Empress Dowager decreed that they consummate their marriage, the Emperor did not comply and didn’t enter the harem for a whole year as a form of protest.
Seeing that this was unsustainable, the Empress Dowager reluctantly accepted the fact and raised the Empress like a daughter in the harem. Who the Emperor favored or adored was beyond her control. She just hoped the daughter of her savior could live happily, which would count as repaying the debt for saving her life.
However, in the entire court, other than the Empress Dowager, everyone else wished to rid themselves of the Empress swiftly, including the Emperor himself.
Poor Empress, five years into the palace, she still didn’t know what the Emperor looked like. She spent her days in Yikun Palace counting ants, gorging herself, and seeing her weight skyrocket. She even gained fifty more jin than when she had first entered the palace. Weighing two hundred thirty jin, she found walking even a single step difficult. How could she possibly venture out to see the scenery beyond Yikun Palace?
For her, this was an extravagant wish.
Consort De managed the many affairs of the harem in her stead, and the Emperor himself attended all events. No matter how much he favored other concubines, as long as the Empress held her title, he couldn’t break the ancestral laws. This was precisely why so many people wished for her death. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novelꞁire.net
It seemed the whole world mocked her as a fat woman. Initially, no one asked her if she wished to enter the palace or become the Empress.
Forced into the palace by an imperial decree, she encountered schemes at every turn once inside. Even though she was fated like a cat, she couldn’t withstand being continuously poisoned.